Category Archives for Air Distribution

An economizer uses outside air to reduce the refrigeration requirement. A logic circuit maintains a fixed minimum of ventilation outside air. The air side economizer is an attractive option for reducing energy costs when the climate allows. The air-side economizer … Continue reading →

The negative pressure in the outdoor air intake plenum is a function of the resistance or static pressure loss through the outside air louvers, damper, and duct. The positive pressure in the relief air plenum is, likewise, a function of … Continue reading →

Relief openings in large buildings should be constructed similarly to outdoor air intakes, but they may require motorized or selfacting backdraft dampers to prevent high wind pressure or stack action from causing the airflow to reverse when the automatic dampers … Continue reading →

Opposed blade dampers for the outdoor, return, and relief airstreams provides the highest degree of control. The section on Mixing Plenum covers the conditions that dictate the use of parallel blade dampers. Pressure relationships between various sections must be considered … Continue reading →

In many situations, a relief (or exhaust) air fan may be used instead of a return fan. A relief air fan relieves ventilation air introduced during air economizer operation and operates only when this control cycle is in effect. When … Continue reading →

A return air fan is optional on small systems but is essential for the proper operation of air economizer systems for free cooling from outside air if the return path has a significant pressure drop (greater than about 75 Pa) … Continue reading →

To determine the system’s air-handling requirement, the designer must consider the function and physical characteristics of the space to be conditioned and the air volume and thermal exchange capacities required. Then, the various components may be selected central system—equipment must … Continue reading →

The methods used to humidify air include • Direct spray of recirculated water into the airstream (air washer) reduces the dry-bulb temperature while maintaining an almost constant wet bulb in an adiabatic process [see Figure 3, Paths (1) to (3)]. … Continue reading →

The basic methods used for cooling include • Direct expansion, which takes advantage of the latent heat of the fluid, as shown in the psychrometric diagram in Figure 2. • Fluid-filled coil, where temperature differences between the fluid and the … Continue reading →